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The story of the Bicycle As people try to use less energy, and find alternatives to cars, more and more people are buying, and riding, bicycles. But where did the bicycle come from? Who invented this "velocipede"? . You may be surprised to learn that the humble bicycle was invented several years later than the railway locomotive! But the two-wheeler has come a long way since the day it was invented by a Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, back (it is said) in 1839. MacMillan developed his bike from an older wheeled vehicle, called a "hobby horse". This was a wooden horse with two wheels. The rider sat on the horse, and pushed the vehicle along with his feet. It was not a very fast or safe vehicle, since it had no steering and no brakes. MacMillan, nicknamed Mad Pate, modified the hobby horse, by adding a system of articulatedbars. The rider could push the bars back and forwards with his feet, and make the back wheel go round. He could also steer the bike, as the front wheel could be turned. To demonstrate his invention, he cycled 60 miles to Glasgow! It must have been a terrible journey, on the roads of the day! Pate's bike did not have rubber tyres or springs. Mad Pate was not recognised in his time, but other people became interested in bicycles. Twentyfive years later, a Frenchman called Pierre Lallemant designed and patented the first bicycle with rotary pedals; and in 1876, H.J.Lawson added another basic feature, "chain-drive". Other features, such as rubber tyres and gears, have appeared since then; but the basic bicycle has not changed. Since then the bicycle has had a magnificent fortune. Today, it is probably the most common form of transport in the world, especially in the Third World; and non-polluting and easy to ride, it has a big future as the town vehicle of tomorrow. Thanks Pate! WORDS : blacksmith: a blacksmith makes things out of iron - steering: means of direction - brakes: brakes help a vehicle to stop - nicknamed: known familiarly as - articulated: with joints - steer : direct - - rubber: a slightly soft material used on the outside of car wheels - springs: springs make a vehicle more comfortable - to patent: to officially register an invention - drive: traction - features: aspects - gears: most modern bicycles have at least 10 gears Copyright © Linguapress. Do not copy this document to any other website Copying permitted for personal study, or by teachers for use with their students.

Student worksheet The Story of the Bicycle Comprehension: true or false? Read the article and say whether these statements are true or false:.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The railway locomotive was invented before the bicycle. The first bicycle was built in Scotland. The bicycle was developed from a wooden horse. The first bicycle was very difficult to steer. Pate preferred not to have rubber tyres for his bike. The pedals on Pate's bike went round and round.

7. 8. 9.

A Frenchman designed the first bike with rotary pedals. Bicycles are very useful in the Third World. The bicycle has little future in Europe.

Canada - the biggest country in the New World WHAT IS THE BIGGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD - in terms of surface area? The USA? NO ! CHINA ? NO ! RUSSIA ? YES !! And the second biggest country in the world? Many people are quite surprised to learn that it is actually Canada.

CANADA - IT'S NOT the USA Imagine yourself sitting in a café one day in your home town, when on the next table you hear some people speaking English with a strong North American accent. Being a friendly person, you lean over and say, "Hi! Are you American?" "No," comes the immediate answer. "Canadian!" Calling a English-speaking Canadian an American can be as bad as telling a Scotsman that he's English or a Swiss person he's German. In spite of a common language, there are differences in culture and national feeling. "No," many Canadians will tell you with insistence, "We're not Americans! We're Canadians" In the same way as Quebecers are determined to keep their identity, Canadians from the other provinces are determined to keep Canada's identity. Although the Canadian way of life is more and more like the American way of life, lots of details are different, and many Canadians, particularly Quebecers, are worried about the survival of their own differences. Canadians use metres and kilometres and measure temperatures in Celsius; Americans use feet and miles, and measure temperature in Fahrenheit. The USA has states, Canada has provinces. Yet about 80% of Canadians live within 150 km. of the U.S. border, and this has had a bad effect on the Canadian economy. Like most European countries, Canada has a national health service, and a good social security system; but good welfare services have to be paid for by high taxes, so the cost of living in Canada is high. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of Canadians often get in their cars and drive over to the USA to go shopping. This is one cause of economic problems in Canada. Over half of Canada's imports come from the United States, and Canada has a trade deficit with the USA. But the American influence is not just a question of shopping. Lots of Canadians drive American cars, and cars are almost as important in Canada as they are in the USA. There is television too. While Quebecers tend to watch their own French-language TV stations, English-speaking Canadians have a choice between local English-speaking channels, national programmes from CBC, and dozens of American channels brought to them by cable or satellite. Unless they specifically want to watch local stations, they're just as likely to tune in to one of the big American channels as they are to a Canadian channel. Perhaps it is not surprising if some Canadians are afraid that their country will soon be just like another part of the USA. If, one day, Quebec becomes independent, many Canadians fear that the rest of Canada could break up. Perhaps that's an exaggeration; many Canadians feel it is a real risk.

SOME SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT CANADA

     

Canada is the second biggest country in the world, but the population is only 36 million. Over half of all Canadians live south of a line that runs, in Europe, through Dijon, Zurich and Budapest. Winter temperatures regularly go down to -25°C all over Canada, except on the West Coast. Driving for 12 hours a day, it takes 5 days to go by road from Montreal to Vancouver. Ottawa, the Canadian capital, is situated in Ontario, on the border with Quebec. Its biggest suburb, Gatineau, is in Quebec. A third of the population of Ottawa are French-speakers. There is a Canadian version of the Loch Ness Monster, the "Turtle Lake Monster". It is said to be between 3 and 9 metres long, and to live in the very deep waters of Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan.

A CANADIAN WINTER ...... Brrrr ! It's cold If there is one thing that unites almost the whole population of Canada, it is the experience of winter. While in most parts of Europe, people never know what the winter weather will be like from one week to the next, Canadians know what winter means. When the last leaves fall off the trees in Autumn, Canadians know

that the winter is coming, and that it will be cold; or if it is not cold, it will be very cold! When the Arctic air blows south in the winter months, Canadians know that the temperature will fall to -20° or lower, perhaps down to -40°; but because they know that it is going to happen, Canadians are ready for it! That, as they say, is half the battle of survival! In Edmonton, the biggest city in the province of Alberta, the first winter snows can come in October. When this happens, Edmontonians complain that it is a bit early, but then just get on with normal life. For most of the winter, which usually lasts from November to April, daytime temperatures in the city rarely rise above freezing; from time to time, Arctic winds howl down from the north, and for several days temperatures in the city may not rise above -20° (and may drop below -40°). But in a city where people are used to cold winters, life carries on as usual. Canadians have to know how to cope with the cold; those who can't have just two options, to emigrate or to go and live beyond the Rocky Mountains, beside the Pacific Ocean, in "B.C." – British Columbia! The easiest way to keep away from the cold of a Canadian winter is to stay indoors as much as possible! This does not mean that you have to stay at home, however! Many people keep their cars in heated basement garages which they can reach without going outside. Cars are often kept warm in winter, with electric heaters which are plugged into power points. Some shopping centres have underground or indoor parking lots: and in the city centre, it is often possible to walk from one building to another, underground or above ground, without ever having to go out in the cold. The biggest shopping centre in town has hundreds of shops, cinemas, an ice rink, a sports centre and an amusement park all under one roof! The "West Edmonton Mall" is like an indoor city — and in the heart of winter, it is a good place to go shopping. Outside, people make the most of the snow, for leisure and recreation. Skiing, skating and snow-shoeing are popular activities that can be practised in the city's parks; many parks also have areas which are flooded in winter, to provide natural icerinks, which are lit up in the evenings. Everyone tries to enjoy the snow as much as possible! Perhaps this is easier than it is in most parts of Europe; Canadian snow tends to be dry and powdery. For most of the winter, for example, you can't make it into snowballs, it's too cold. There is no point in putting salt on the roads, either, as at -10° and below, the snow just will not melt, even with salt! The only way to clear the roads is to use snow-ploughs or snow-blowers.

Constitutional issues Canada's official Head of State is Queen Elizabeth, who is also the nominal head of state of 15 other Commonwealth countries. Her function is purely symbolic. Many Canadians would like Canada to have a Canadian head of State; but many others want to keep the monarchy. Opinion is divided, but there is no great opposition to the Queen as head of state, except in Quebec. It was not until 1982 that Canada became constitutionally an independent nation! When this happened, many Canadians were quite surprised, as they thought that their country had been independent since 1867. In practice they were right; the Canadian government in Ottawa has governed Canada since that date. The links between Britain and Canada remain very strong, all the same. About 40% of Canadians have ancestors from the British Isles, and about 30% have ancestors from France. In particular, lots of Scottish people emigrated from Britain to Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the British Isles remained the main source of immigration to Canada until the 1980's. Today, most new Canadian immigrants come from Asia, particularly from southern and south east Asia.

The first Canadians Before Europeans came to North America, Canada was inhabited by native Americans, known today as Indians and the Inuit (or Eskimos). Contrary to popular imagination, Canada's Indians were not all nomadic people, and in eastern Canada, many Indians lived in villages made of wooden huts. Like Europeans, they grew crops and cultivated small fields. Different groups of Indians often fought for territory, for good agricultural land, for the rivers with most fish in them. However, there was plenty of room for everyone in such a vast country, and food was not a real problem;

the forests were full of wild animals. Indians in the western half of Canada were more nomadic. The great prairies of Western Canada were home to tribes of Indians who lived in teepees; these nomads lived mainly from hunting. Today, there are about 300,000 officially registered Indians in Canada, and about a million other Canadians who are partly of Indian origin. Indian ceremonies and festivities are an important part of Canadian culture. Across Canada, there are over 2000 Indian reservations, many of them relatively poor. However some Indian reservations have rich natural resources. In Alberta, Indian groups receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in royalties for gas and oil extracted from the ground in or under their reservations.

WORD GUIDE

ancestors: grandparents, great grandparents, etc. - basement: the underground level of a building border: frontier - cope with: live with, accept - crops: food plants - flooded: covered with water health: medical condition - howl: blow very fast - hunting: killing wild animals - icerink: place for skating parking lot: car park - plugged into: connected to - power points: sources of electric current - - tend to: have a habit of (-ing) - trade deficit: a trade deficit is when a country imports more than it exports - tune in to: select - used to: accustomed to, familiar with - welfare: services to help people who are in a difficult situation

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Student Worksheet Focus on Canada Fill in the missing prepositions and adverbs in this extract from the section "A Canadian Winter" Replace the missing adverbs and prepositions in this extract from the Freeway Focus: you will need to use: to (10), in (6), from (4), above (2), for (2), of (2) with (2), at, away, below, beside, beyond, indoors, into, without. _____ most _____ the winter, which usually lasts _____ November _____ April, daytime temperatures _____ the city rarely rise _________ freezing; _____ time _____ time, Arctic winds howl _______ _____ the north, and _____ several days temperatures _____ the city may not rise _________ -20° (and may drop _________ 40°). _______ the cold; those who can't have just two options, _____ emigrate or _____ go and live __________ the Rocky Mountains, __________ the Pacific Ocean, _____ B.C., British Columbia! But _____ a city where people are used _____ cold winters, life carries _______ as usual. Canadians have _____ know how _____ cope. The easiest way _____ keep _______ _____ the cold _____ a Canadian winter is _____ stay __________ as much as possible! This does not mean that you have _____ stay ___ home, however! Many people keep their cars _____ heated basement garages which they can reach __________ going outside. Cars are often kept warm _____ winter, _______ electric heaters which are plugged _______ power points.

COMMON PHRASAL VERBS Separable Phrasal Verbs The object may come after the following phrasal verbs or it may separate the two parts:  You have to do this paint job over.  You have to do over this paint job.

When the object of the following phrasal verbs is a pronoun, the two parts of the phrasal verb must be separated:  You have to do it over. Verb

Meaning

Example

blow up

explode

The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.

bring up

mention a topic

My mother brought up that little matter of my prison record again.

bring up

raise children

It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.

call off

cancel

They called off this afternoon's meeting

do over

repeat a job

Do this homework over.

fill out

complete a form

Fill out this application form and mail it in.

fill up

fill to capacity

She filled up the grocery cart with free food.

find out

discover

My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise party for her.

give away

give something to someone else for free

The filling station was giving away free gas.

give back

return an object

My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he's not about to give it back.

hand in

submit something (assignment)

The students handed in their papers and left the room.

hang up

put something on hook or receiver

She hung up the phone before she hung up her clothes.

hold up

delay

I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the bathroom.

hold up (2)

rob

Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this afternoon.

leave out

omit

You left out the part about the police chase down Asylum Avenue.

look

examine, check

The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before questioning the witness.

over

(They looked them overcarefully.)

look up

search in a list

You've misspelled this word again. You'd better look it up.

make up

invent a story or lie

She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story about going to the movies with her friends.

make out

hear, understand

He was so far away, we really couldn't make out what he was saying.

pick out

choose

There were three men in the line-up. She picked out the guy she thought had stolen her purse.

pick up

lift something off something else

The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch them pick it up.)

point out

call attention to

As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the major historical sites.

put away

save or store

We put away money for our retirement. She put away the cereal boxes.

put off

postpone

We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow. (Please put it off for another day.)

put on

put clothing on the body

I put on a sweater and a jacket. (I put them on quickly.)

put out

extinguish

The firefighters put out the house fire before it could spread. (They put it out quickly.)

read over

peruse

I read over the homework, but couldn't make any sense of it.

set up

to arrange, begin

My wife set up the living room exactly the way she wanted it. She set it up.

take down

make a written note

These are your instructions. Write them down before you forget.

take off

remove clothing

It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt.

talk over

discuss

We have serious problems here. Let's talk them over like adults.

throw away

discard

That's a lot of money! Don't just throw it away.

try on

put clothing on to see if it fits

She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one she liked.

try out

test

I tried out four cars before I could find one that pleased me.

turn down

lower volume

Your radio is driving me crazy! Please turn it down.

turn down (2)

reject

He applied for a promotion twice this year, but he was turned down both times.

turn up

raise the volume

Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned up his hearing aid.

turn off

switch off electricity

We turned off the lights before anyone could see us.

turn off (2)

repulse

It was a disgusting movie. It really turned me off.

turn on

switch on the electricity

Turn on the CD player so we can dance.

use up

exhaust, use completely

The gang members used up all the money and went out to rob some more banks.

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs (Transitive) With the following phrasal verbs, the lexical part of the verb (the part of the phrasal verb that carries the "verbmeaning") cannot be separated from the prepositions (or other parts) that accompany it: "Who will look after my estate when I'm gone?" Verb

Meaning

Example

call on

ask to recite in class

The teacher called on students in the back row.

call on (2)

visit

The old minister continued to call on his sick parishioners.

get over

recover from sickness or disappointment

I got over the flu, but I don't know if I'll ever get over my broken heart.

go over

review

The students went over the material before the exam. They should have gone over it twice.

go through

use up; consume

They country went through most of its coal reserves in one year. Did he go through all his money already?

look after

take care of

My mother promised to look after my dog while I was gone.

look into

investigate

The police will look into the possibilities of embezzlement.

run across

find by chance

I ran across my old roommate at the college reunion.

run into

meet

Carlos ran into his English professor in the hallway.

take after

resemble

My second son seems to take after his mother.

wait on

serve

It seemed strange to see my old boss wait on tables.

Three-Word Phrasal Verbs (Transitive) With the following phrasal verbs, you will find three parts: "My brother dropped out of school before he could graduate." Verb

Meaning

Example

break in on

interrupt (a conversation)

I was talking to Mom on the phone when the operator broke in on our call.

catch up with

keep abreast

After our month-long trip, it was time to catch up withthe neighbors and the news around town.

check up on

examine, investigate

The boys promised to check up on the condition of the summer house from time to time.

come up with

to contribute (suggestion, money)

After years of giving nothing, the old parishioner was able to come up with a thousand-dollar donation.

cut down on

curtail (expenses)

We tried to cut down on the money we were spending on entertainment.

drop out of

leave school

I hope none of my students drop out of school this semester.

get along with

have a good relationship with

I found it very hard to get along with my brother when we were young.

get away with

escape blame

Janik cheated on the exam and then tried to get away with it.

get rid of

eliminate

The citizens tried to get rid of their corrupt mayor in the recent election.

get through with

finish

When will you ever get through with that program?

keep up with

maintain pace with

It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose your job!

look forward to

anticipate with pleasure

I always look forward to the beginning of a new semester.

look down on

despise

It's typical of a jingoistic country that the citizens look down on their geographical neighbors.

look in on

visit (somebody)

We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but he wasn't home.

look out for

be careful, anticipate

Good instructors will look out for early signs of failure in their students

look up to

respect

First-graders really look up to their teachers.

make sure of

verify

Make sure of the student's identity before you let him into the classroom.

put up with

tolerate

The teacher had to put up with a great deal of nonsense from the

new students. run out of

exhaust supply

The runners ran out of energy before the end of the race.

take care of

be responsible for

My oldest sister took care of us younger children after Mom died.

talk back to

answer impolitely

The star player talked back to the coach and was thrown off the team.

think back on

recall

I often think back on my childhood with great pleasure.

walk out on

abandon

Her husband walked out on her and their three children.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs The following phrasal verbs are not followed by an object: "Once you leave home, you can never really go back again." Verb

Meaning

Example

break down

stop functioning

That old Jeep had a tendency to break down just when I needed it the most.

catch on

become popular

Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and then spread eastward.

come back

return to a place

Father promised that we would never come back to this horrible place.

come in

enter

They tried to come in through the back door, but it was locked.

come to

regain consciousness

He was hit on the head very hard, but after several minutes, he started to come to again.

come over

to visit

The children promised to come over, but they never do.

drop by

visit without appointment

We used to just drop by, but they were never home, so we stopped doing that.

eat out

dine in a restaurant

When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the sidewalk cafes.

get by

survive

Uncle Heine didn't have much money, but he always seemed to get by without borrowing money from relatives.

get up

arise

Grandmother tried to get up, but the couch was too low, and she couldn't make it on her own.

go back

return to a place

It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to Lithuania.

go on

continue

He would finish one Dickens novel and then just go on to the next.

go on (2)

happen

The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see what was going on.

grow up

get older

Charles grew up to be a lot like his father.

keep away

remain at a distance

The judge warned the stalker to keep away from his victim's home.

keep on (with gerund)

continue with the same

He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was ruined.

pass out

lose consciousness, faint

He had drunk too much; he passed out on the sidewalk outside the bar.

show off

demonstrate haughtily

Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he was going to show off.

show up

arrive

Day after day, Efrain showed up for class twenty minutes late.

wake up

arouse from sleep

I woke up when the rooster crowed.